First India-Mumbai Edition-12th March 2023

MY FATHER SEXUALLY ASSAULTED ME: DCW CHIEF

New Delhi: DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal on Saturday said she has been a victim of sexual assault at the hands of her father when she was a child. She narrated her life’s ordeal and how she battled sexual assault.

New Delhi: Wife of a Delhi-based bizman, has claimed that her husband allegedly killed actor Satish Kaushik for `15 crore which he took from him for investment purpose in Dubai. Turn to P6

Bhopal: The two Namibian cheetahs, Oban and Aasha, were successfully released in the wild of Kuno National Park, Sheopur district in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday.

INFOSYS PREZ MOHIT RESIGNS, TO JOIN TECH MAHINDRA

TULIP MANIA!

ASIA’S LARGEST TULIP GARDEN IN SRINAGAR

New Delhi: Infosys president Mohit Joshi has resigned from company to join rival Tech Mahindra, 2 firms informed Stock Exchange. Joshi, who was part of Infosys since 2000, has been appointed as MD, CEO at Tech Mahindra.

MARCH 19

Srinagar’s Tulip Garden will open for visitors from March 19. It is divided into 36 plots, 16-18 beds.

60 GARDENERS

3 PARKS

The visitors can sit in parks and have an immersive experience in a sea of colours flanked by the Zabarwan mountain range.

Many gardeners are shaping arrangements, which are in final stage, to ensure the opening of garden on the due date.

India & Australia bond; up a notch!

India, Australia agree for early conclusion of talks to expand trade pact; eye USD 100-billion trade

Moni Sharma

New Delhi: India and Australia on Saturday expressed their commitment for concluding the negotiations for expanding the scope of existing free trade agreement by the end of this year with an aim to push the bilateral trade to USD 100 billion. The issue came up for discussions during the meeting of joint ministerial commission between commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal and his Australian counterpart Don Farrell. Both mins said they “will be much more ambitious & aim for USD 100-bn trade between the 2 economies.

Anthony Albanese speaking to media in Delhi on Saturday, before heading to US to meet Joe Biden & Rishi Sunak over AUKUS deal.

ATTACKS ON HINDU TEMPLES HAVE ‘NO PLACE IN AUSTRALIA’: Oz PM

Australian PM Anthony Albanese on Saturday said that he has assured PM Modi that those responsible for attacks on Hindu temples in Australia will “face the full force of the law”. He said,”I told Modi that Australia is a country that respects people’s faith, that we don’t tolerate the sort of extreme actions and attacks that we’ve seen on religious buildings, be they Hindu temples, mosques, synagogues, or churches.”

20 DAYS

The average life of a tulip flower can stretch from 20 to 25 days with overall bloom getting extended by adding late-blooming varieties.

1.6 MILLION

Tulips of 68 different varieties are expected to bloom. This year garden will have flowers, including Cap Knowya, Hamilton, Sweet Heart and Christmas.

LAND FOR JOB SCAM: RAIDS AGAINST LALU PRASAD'S FAMILY

`1 crore cash, `600 crore in crime proceeds found in raids, says ED

First India Bureau New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday said it has seized “unaccounted cash” of `1 crore and detected proceeds of crime worth `600 crore after it raided RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family in connection with a money laundering case linked to railways land for job ‘scam’ linked money laundering case.

In a statement on Saturday, the ED said, “Searches resulted in the recovery of unaccounted cash of `1 crore, foreign currency including USD 1,900, 540 gms gold bullion and more than 1.5 kg of gold jewellery worth about `1.25 crore.”

ED GRILLS KCR’S DAUGHTER FOR 9 HOURS IN EXCISE POLICY CASE

BRS MLC and Telangana CM K

Chandrashekhar Rao’s daughter Kavitha Kalvakuntla left ED’s office in New Delhi, after nearly 9 hours of questioning in connection with the Delhi liquor excise policy case. The ED has summoned K Kavitha again on March 16.

PREGNANT

WIFE

IN HOSPITAL,

TEJASHWI SKIPS CBI SUMMONS

Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav has been summoned by CBI for questioning in the land-for-jobs scam on Saturday. Yadav was earlier summoned by CBI on March 4 but he had not appeared. “Tejashwi won’t appear before CBI due to his wife’s health. After ED raid, she was hospitalised on Friday in Delhi. She is pregnant and after 12 hours of interrogation she fainted due to BP issues,” sources said.

G20 PRESIDENCY

BRS MLC K Kavitha at ED office in connection with the Delhi excise policy case, in New Delhi on Saturday.

SV Bank heat leaves billion stranded...

California (FIB): Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), a four-year-old US lender and a cornerstone of the tech startup scene, collapsed on Friday after a stunning 48 hours, making it 2nd biggest bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis.

The bank served technology workers & venture capital-backed firms. California regulators closed down tech lender & put it under control of US Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. SVB failed after depositors hurried to withdraw money this week amid anxiety over the bank’s health.

Elon Musk shows interest in buying SVB: Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan suggested, Twitter should consider buying SVB and turning it into a digital bank. Interestingly, Twitter chief Elon Musk responded to his tweet, saying, “I’m open to the idea”

Thakur hails youth’s role in progress; says Pune ideal for Y20 meet

First India Bureau

Pune: Pune is the ideal location for the fourth ‘Y20’ consultation meeting as the city has been a beacon of knowledge and culture for generations, in the process attracting students and scholars from across the world, Union Minister for Youth Affairs Anurag

Thakur said on Saturday.

‘Youth 20’ is an official consultation forum for youth from G20 nations to have a dialogue with each other. The theme of the fourth Y20 consultation meet is ‘Peace building and Reconciliation: Ushering in an era of no warthe philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam

and the future of work’.

Thakur, who was the chief guest at the meet being held in Symbiosis International University (SIU) here, said, “Young people are equal stakeholders in the present. Their role is today, now and here.

Look around, India is making headlines as it is the world’s fastest growing large econo -

We have been a strong advocate for disarmament, non proliferation and have contributed to United Nations’ peacekeeping efforts.

—Anurag Thakur, Union Minister for Youth Affairs

my. From being among fragile five economies in 2014, we are now among the top five

economies of the world.”

“In a span of eight years, we have become third globally among startups with over 77000 startups and more than 107 unicorns. Whether it is social media led causes or billion dollar startups, our youth are leading from the front,” he added.

TEAKWOOD FOR AYODHYA’S RAM TEMPLE TO BE SENT FROM CHANDRAPUR: MUNGATIWAR

Chandrapur: Teakwood to be used in the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh will be sent from Chandrapur, Maharashtra minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said on Saturday. A grand rally will be held on March 29 or 30 to mark the dispatch of the teakwood consignment from Ballarpur depot to Ayodhya, he said. He asked people to participate in the rally in large numbers to mark this contribution of Chandrapur to the construction of the Ram Temple.

Blooming Tulips at the Tulip Garden in Srinagar on Saturday. —PHOTO BY ANI

The ED team conducted searches at 24 locations on Saturday.

‘MY HUSBAND KILLED SATISH KAUSHIK’ 1ST CHEETAH COUPLE RELEASED INTO WILD

CRUCIAL READ SIT TO PROBE EXRTO OFFICIAL FOR DUPING PEOPLE

Nagpur: A special investigation team will probe allegations against a former Regional Transport Office (RTO) staffer after he promised transfers and postings to people by falsely claiming he was close to Maharashtra

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, a Nagpur police official said on Saturday.

This ex-RTO staffer, along with an associate, would meet Transport Department officials at a five-star hotel here and seek money for such transfers and postings, he said.

CBI ARRESTS RPF OFFICIAL, AIDE FOR BRIBERY

Nagpur: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested an inspector of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs1 lakh from a man for releasing his father who had been arrested in two cases in Akola district, an official said on Saturday.

The CBI’s Nagpur-based anti-corruption branch on Friday caught the RFP inspector and his aide through whom he had demanded and accepted the bribe, the official said.

As per the complaint, the accused official allegedly demanded Rs5 lakh from the son of a furniture store owner, who was arrested in two cases for buying and storing stolen goods in his shop, he said.

DISHA MEET RESOLUTION SEEKS

PMAY GRANT HIKE

Latur: A resolution passed at the meeting of District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee, also called ‘DISHA’, in Latur on Saturday sought hike in grant offered under the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. It asked that the amount be increased to Rs4 lakh from the present amount of Rs1.5 lakh. Speaking at a press conference following the meeting at the collectorate here, Dharashiv (formerly Osmanabad) Lok Sabha MP Omraje Nimbalkar said the current amount was not adequate to build homes due to rise in input costs.

Anil Parab’s ‘aide’ remanded to ED custody; claims to be scapegoat

He has been arrested in a money laundering case pertaining to a resort in Maha’s Dapoli

First India Bureau Mumbai: A day after his arrest, a special court in Mumbai on Saturday remanded Sadanand Kadam in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody till March 15 in an alleged money laundering case pertaining to a resort in the state’s Ratnagiri district.

Kadam, arrested by the central agency on Friday night, claimed in the court that he was only a “shoulder for the ED to shoot someone else.”

In January this year, the ED had attached Sai Resort at Dapoli in coastal Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, worth more than Rs10 crore, as part of a money laundering probe against Shiv Sena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader and former state minister Anil Parab and others.

Kadam, who is known

to be Parab’s close aide, was produced before a special holiday court of judge SM Tapkire on Saturday. The court remanded him in ED custody for five days.

The money laundering case stems from a complaint filed by Union Environment and

Gadkari conducts aerial survey of ‘palkhi marg’

Forest Ministry. The ED had earlier claimed that Parab “in connivance” with Kadam got “illegal permission” from local sub-divisional office for converting agriculture-only land into one for non-agricultural use, and constructed a resort in violation of CRZ (coastal regulation zone) norms.

The agency sought Kadam’s remand for 14 days claiming that he was the prime beneficiary of the crime and a vital cog in the wheel.

Kadam’s lawyer advocate Niranjan Mundergi opposed the remand plea and said, “Political mileage is to be achieved. They want to reach somewhere, I’m just a ladder....Kadam is a scapegoat....A shoulder for ED to shoot someone else.”

The court, after hearing both the sides, remanded Kadam in the ED custody.

First India Bureau Pune: Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday conducted an aerial survey of the “palkhi marg” (palanquin route) between Dehu in Pune and Pandharpur in Solapur district that thousands of Vithoba devotees, also known as “warkaris”, traverse by foot.

The Union minister of Road Transport and Highways said the survey was to see firsthand the progress in the construction of the route, comprising three packages each for the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi Marg and

Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi Marg.

“Palkhi marg is a matter of faith. This is not just a road but an attempt to create a Bhakti marg (faith path). We are designing something so that the feet of the devotees who undertake this pilgrimage by foot get relief. The route is nearing completion,” the Union minister told reporters in Pune during an event. “Dehu, Alandi and Pandharpur are three important places. The Union and state governments will develop road-side amenities jointly,” he added.

Pune (PTI): Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said the Opposition leaders need to be sensitive and must stop playing politics over the issue unseasonal rains that affected farmers in different parts of the state.

The Opposition had staged a walk out in the state legislative Assembly on Thursday demanding that the state government give immediate relief to farmers whose crops were destroyed in the unseasonal rains ac -

companied by hailstorms earlier this week.

Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar criticized the state government for not comforting the distressed farmers.

“Unseasonal rains lashed several parts of the day a couple of days ago. We immediately ordered assessment of agricultural losses. We have already clarified that even if a farmer clicks a photograph of his farm, the image will be considered as an assessment,” Fadnavis told reporters here.

Accusing the Opposition of creating a ruckus, the deputy chief minister said, “Have they (opposition) ever seen a quick assessment being carried out after rains? We should be sensitive to the situation arising out of unseasonal heavy rains and not play politics over it.”

Unseasonal rains along with heavy winds and hailstorm hit several districts of Maharashtra earlier this week damaging crops, which were ready for harvest.

Power tariff: Govt will ensure hike isn’t irrational

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the state government will ensure the proposed hike in electricity tariffs is not irrational.

Fadnavis, who holds the power portfolio in the Eknath Shinde-led government, was speaking in the Legislative Council.

“The tariff hike has

According to sources, the MSEDCL has proposed a 14% hike in electricity rates

been proposed because of the rising cost of coal and other factors that are unavoidable. Our government will not impose any extra charge on consumers. If required, our government

PATIL RAISES CONCERN OVER STATE’S CATTLE FEED PROD QUALITY & QUANTITY

will intervene to ensure Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) does not increase power tariffs irrationally,” he said.

“There is going to be some hike in power rates because of factors such as import costs, transportation, wages etc. We will ensure the hike is linked with the increased input cost for power generation,” he added.

Sources said the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd has proposed a 14% hike in power tariff.

Fadnavis said the MERC never accepts a hike proposal as it is and there would be some reduction in it. “The state government will definitely intervene in the matter and try to keep the proposed hike practical,” he said.

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Maharash-

tra's Animal Husbandry Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil on Saturday sought to highlight what he called inadequate production of cattle feed in the state and said some of the big players in the business occasionally sell inferior quality feed.

The minister was

speaking at a function organized by a local animal feed manufacturer.

“There is not enough production of cattle feed in the market. The (yearly) deficit in the supply

and demand for the same is around 30 lakh tonnes to 40 lakh tonnes. At times, the quality of the cattle feed available in the market is also questioned,” he said. About quality concerns, he said, “The nutritional value printed on cattle feed sacks does not match with the actual nutritional value. It is a big challenge for the state government.”

MVA to hold rally in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on April 02

Aim to strengthen grassroot cadres and stay united ahead of upcoming polls

First India Bureau

Mumbai: A rally will be held by the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition, comprising the Shiv Sena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress, in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, formerly known as Aurangabad, on April 02.

The opposition alliance plans to hold joint rallies in all seven revenue divisions of the state over the next two months.

The components of the MVA will meet on March 15 for the third time since the Budget Session of the Assembly began and prominent leaders and officebearers from all seven

NO ISSUES

Meanwhile, Patil dismissed speculation of a rift with ally Congress on the NCP’s support to the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party-BJP alliance government in Nagaland, where Assembly polls were held last month. The NCP’s support was for the chief minister (Neiphiu Rio) who belongs to the NDPP, Patil asserted. The NCP won seven seats in the 60-member Nagaland Assembly.

revenue districts will be in attendance, said state NCP chief Jayant Patil on Saturday.

“The message of unity needs to percolate to the grassroots,”said Patil, who admitted the MVA faces a double challenge of defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by staying united as well as strengthening its own grassroot cadre.

This process will smoothen after the MVA holds joint rallies in the state, Patil added.

MVA leaders, including former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, have met on two occasions recently to discuss the floor strategy in the Budget Session and to project unity outside.

Incidentally, Thackeray has asked his supporters to reach out to people and had also held a rally in Khed in Ratnagiri district, a part of the state’s Konkan region, which was a stronghold of the undivided Shiv Sena.

Sadanand Kadam exits special court premises with ED officials after his hearing in Mumbai on Saturday. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

STEALTH CRIME

VROOM VROOM!

Thirteen-time Formula 1 Grand Prix champion David Coulthard and Red Bull Technology’s Chris Gregory during a press conference ahead of the Red Bull F1 Showrun in Mumbai on Saturday. —PHOTO BY BHUSHAN KOYANDE

‘Oppn must stop playing politics over issue of unseasonal rains’

Tyre shop fire: Smoke still emerging from chambers

First India Bureau

Thane: A day after a fire in underground power supply lines claimed the life of a man sleeping in a tyre shop at Shil in Thane city, smoke continues to emerge from nearby manhole chambers. Investigators are trying to find out its source, an official said on Saturday.

A 35-year-old man was charred to death and another one got injured after the fire broke out in underground power cables and engulfed the tyre shop at around 6.30 am on Friday. The fire was completely doused by 12.30 am on Saturday.

“Below the underground power cables lies a diesel pipeline of Bharat Petroleum company, which suffered damage due to the fire and explosions. But even 24 hours after the incident, smoke continues to emanate from the chambers and the authorities are trying to find out the source,” Avinash Sawant, chief of the Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), said.

Devise safety guidelines for USE OF CRANES: HC TO BMC

tives/guidelines are formulated.

On February 14, a large cement block came crashing down from the 52nd floor of the under-construction

POCSO accused gets bail even before cops file charge sheet

First India Bureau Mumbai: While directing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to formulate safety guidelines for the use of cranes in con struction of high-rises, the Bombay High Court said, “A person has the right to move freely without the fear of get ting killed or hurt.”

A division bench comprising Justice GS Kulkarni and Justice RN Laddha in its order on Thursday noted that it was “high time” the BMC gave special attention to the safety requirements at con struction sites. The court further stated that it was certain the civic chief would look into these is sues so that appropriate direc-

CRUCIAL READ

GRAM SEVAK HELD BY ACB FOR `15K BRIBE DEMAND

Thane: The Anti-Corruption Bureau has arrested a gram sevak for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs15,000 to facilitate property tax assessment for a house in a village in Thane district.

Based on a complaint, the ACB’s Thane unit laid a trap and caught the accused while accepting Rs10,000 at the Ovli gram panchayat office in Bhiwandi on Thursday, an official said.

The accused had demanded Rs15,000 from the complainant to facilitate the tax assessment, he said. An offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered.

MAN GETS SEVEN YEARS RI IN RAPE CASE IN THANE

Thane: A court in Thane district has sentenced a 37-year-old man to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a woman. Additional sessions judge Dr Rachna R Tehra on Wednesday found the accused guilty of charges under section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code. The accused was sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs500 was imposed on him. On June 27, 2016, the accused came to the victim’s house and quarrelled with her. He raped the victim in the presence of her daughter.

28-YEAR-OLD YOUTH KILLED IN MISHAP

AFTER CAR RAMS INTO TREE IN PALGHAR

Palghar: A 28-year-old man died after the car he was travelling in rammed into a tree in Palghar district, police said on Saturday. The accident took place at around 3 am on Friday, they said. “Khaif Israil Khan and his relatives were returning to Palghar from Boisar in the district when their car rammed into a tree on Sarpada-Umroli road,” a police official said. Khan suffered grievous injuries in the incident and was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead. His body was then sent to a government facility for postmortem, he said.

DENIED MARRIAGE, COUPLE JUMPS OFF HILLTOP IN CITY

Mumbai: A man and a 16-year-old girl died by suicide allegedly after jumping off the top of a hill in Samta Nagar area, the police said on Saturday. According to the police, both were neighbours and lived in Kandivali East Janupada area. The 21-year-old man, identified as Akash Jhate was a housekeeper, while the 16-year-old girl was a student. “Their families opposed their idea of getting married,” Mumbai police said. The police have recovered the bodies and sent them for postmortem examination.

Four Seasons Private Residences project at Worli in central Mumbai, killing two persons standing outside the premises.

A petition was filed by Lokhandwala Residency Towers Cooperative Housing So-

ciety Ltd located next to the under-construction building alleging lack of proper care by the developer Provenance Land Pvt Ltd in the use of cranes at the construction site. The high court in its order said the February 14 incident was “too unfortunate” and that it was “deeply pained” by it.

“It can never be countenanced that innocent lives are lost even by accidents of

such nature,” the court said.

The court wondered if there was any inspection, approval and certification of the operation of such cranes by any recognized specialized agency, which may be appointed by the developers.

It directed the civic body to within two months to look into the issues inter alia concerning safety measures in the operation and use of cranes in high-rise constructions.

“We are certain that in the event the municipal corporation formulates any guidelines and intends to issue appropriate directives, the urban development department of the state govern-

LEGAL INQUIRY

ment shall act upon any such proposal of the municipal corporation with utmost expediency,” the court said.

We firmly believe in the right of a person to move freely, in places which are not actual construction sites. If they are threatened by a fear of being killed or hurt, this would certainly amount to violation of one’s fundamental right to livelihood, guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.

—Bombay High Court

Couple’s mysterious death: Experts hint geyser inspection

First India Bureau Mumbai: After the death of a couple whose bodies were found in the bathroom of their flat in the Ghatkopar building that remains a mystery, the city’s forensic experts now give inputs on possible clues to solving the case as one of them has suggested inspecting the geyser in the bathroom.

The post mortem of Deepak Shah (45) and Tina Shah (39) was inconclusive, making the police look for all the possible angles to crack the case and find the cause of their death. The bodies of the duo were found on March 08.

NMMC TO HOLD CYCLATHON TODAY FOR AWARENESS

Navi Mumbai: In order to spread the message of environment protection through bicycles, an innovative initiative called Cyclathon 2023 has been organized on Sunday March 12, 2023 in association with the Cyclist Club of India. A bicycle is a non-polluting vehicle that is beneficial in terms of health protection and conservation. In Majhi Vasundhara Abhiyan 2.0, NMMC secured the first rank as an eco-friendly city in the state. Now, the civic body has decided to maintain it in Majhi Vasundhara Abhiyan 3.0.

CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS ON ROADS:

OFFICIALS ASKED TO TAKE STRICT ACTION

Navi Mumbai: Rajesh Narvekar, the municipal commissioner again made a surprise visit to public toilets and market premises to check the cleanliness status. He directed officials to check construction debris being dumped along the road. Narvekar visited various sectors and provided suggestions for improvement. Narvekar directed officials to be more vigilant that debris should not be dumped in open spaces or on open plots. He also asked to take strict action.

“The geyser has been checked by experts and it didn’t show any leakage. To get more clarity on the death of the couple, chemical analysis of the samples is crucial. We are going to

write to the Forensic Science Laboratory, Kalina to analyze the samples on priority and give a report as soon as possible,” DCP (Zone 7) Purushottam Karad said. “The couple returned home around 3.55 pm to 4 pm, which is after the Holi party,” DCP Karad. “However, it’s still unclear whether they left home again. There is another statement of a watchman who says he saw them returning home around 9.30 pm, so there is a possibility that they had gone out again,” he

INCONCLUSIVE

added. Police have recorded the statements of 10 people, including their parents, house help, an uncle and friends who were with the couple at the Holi bash, the DCP said.

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The sessions court has granted bail to a 45-year-old Vakola resident in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case even before the charge sheet has been submitted. As per the court, both parties have a history of animosity.

The three-year-old child’s mother has filed the case under POCSO.

As per the bail application filed by the accused, the mother lodged a complaint on January 28 this year.

She said that her daughter used to go to the house of the accused, who lives in the neighbourhood, to play with his sons. On January 06, at around 1.30 pm, the child allegedly came from the house of the

On Jan 06, the child allegedly came from the house of the accused and complained of pain in her private parts and stomach

accused and complained of pain in her private parts and stomach. The mother took the girl to the hospital where doctors diagnosed an infection.

On January 26, when the complainant took the child for a pooja along with her husband the child got scared on seeing the accused and insisted that her mother take her back home.

Woman’s menstrual blood used for Aghori ritual; seven booked

First India Bureau

Pune: Seven people, including the husband and in-laws of a 28-year-old woman have been booked in Pune for allegedly forcing her to indulge in black magic rituals.

Senior Police Inspector Dattatraya Bhapka of Visharant Wadi police station said the accused took menstrual blood of victim against her will as a part of a Aghori practice.

Following a complaint by woman, a case was registered against her husband, her mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-inlaw, and nephew under sections 377 ( unnatural offences), 354 ( molestation ), 498 (enticing or taking away or detaining with criminal intent a married woman) and relevant sections of the Maha-

Incident occurred in Beed district of state at residence of victim’s in-laws

rashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil, and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, officials said.

In her complaint, the women alleged that she had been subjected to mental and

physical harassment since her marriage in 2019. “She said that some of the accused including her brothers-in-law, nephew and neighbour forcibly took her menstrual blood in August 2022. They used cotton to fill a bottle to perform some black magic act,” stated the complaint. Police further added that the accused brother-in-law was supposed to get Rs50,000 in return for the menstrual blood of a woman.

Class X students fooled by viral fake exam schedule

Later, parents

First India Bureau Mumbai: Several class X students, in the midst of their Maharashtra SSC board exam, have fallen victim to a fake exam timetable that went viral on the web. Seeing it as the final timetable, the stu dents reportedly failed

to turn up for the Second Language (Hindi) exam, according to reports.

As per Maharashtra State Board of Second

ondary Education (MSBSHSE) official timetable, the Hindi exam as a second language was scheduled for March 08. However, the

exam was listed for March 09 in fake schedule that went viral, confusing many students who did not appear for their Hindi paper. The parents of these students made a request for a special examination which was declined by the school education minister, Deepak Kesarkar, while saying the exam board is not at fault in this case.

170 SSC STUDENTS TO GET NEW BOARD EXAM CENTRE FROM MONDAY

Mumbai: Amid complaints of parents of kids appearing for the ongoing Board examinations, the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) has decided to change the exam centre of 170 SSC students who were allotted seating in Ganesh Vidyalaya. Situated in the middle of noisy shanties and shops, parents of students had said that the school lacks sufficient fans and ventilation. Action from the Board came after a Shiv Sena legislator raised the matter in the Assembly on Friday, prompting School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar to change the exam centre.

Court hearing petition over death of two people at the construction site of a high-rise

Deceased couple Deepak Shah and Tina Shah

of these students sought nod for special exam, which school edu minister declined

SILICON VALLEY BANK BIGGEST US LENDER...

TO FAIL SINCE 2008 FINANCIAL CRISIS — A FINANCE EXPERT EXPLAINS THE IMPACT

DIPLOMATIC DEAL BETWEEN SAUDI AND IRAN IS BAD AUGURY FOR US

While these losses are just on paper - meaning they’re not realized until the assets are sold – they still can increase a bank’s overall risk. How much the risk will go up will vary from bank to bank. The good news is that most banks currently have enough capital to absorb these losses – however large –in part because of efforts taken by the Fed after the 2008 financial crisis to ensure financial firms can weather any storm. So rest easy for now, the banking system is sound

Silicon Valley Bank, which catered to the tech industry for three decades, collapsed on March 10, 2023, after the Santa Clara, California-based lender suffered from an old-fashioned bank run. State regulators seized the bank and made the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation its receiver.

SVB, as it’s known, was the biggest U.S. lender to fail since the 2008 global financial crisis – and the secondbiggest ever. We asked William Chittenden, associate professor of finance at Texas State University, to explain what happened and whether Americans should be worried about the safety of their financial system.

WHY DID SILICON VALLEY BANK COLLAPSE SO SUDDENLY?

The short answer is that SVB did not have enough cash to pay depositors so the regulators closed the bank. The longer answer begins during in the pandemic, when SVB and many other banks were raking in more deposits than they could lend out to borrowers. In 2021, deposits at SVB doubled. But they had to do something with all that money. So, what they could not lend out, they invested in ultra-safe U.S. Treasury securities. The problem is the rapid increase in interest rates in 2022 and

2023 caused the value of these securities to plunge. A characteristic of bonds and similar securities is that when yields or interest rates go up, prices go down, and vice versa.

The bank recently said it took a US$1.8 billion hit on the sale of some of those securities and they were unable to raise capital to offset the loss as their stock began dropping. That prompted prominent venture capital firms to advise the companies they invest in to pull their business from Silicon Valley Bank. This had a snowball effect that led a growing number of SVB depositors to withdraw their money too.

The investment losses, coupled with the withdrawals, were so large that regulators had no choice but to step in to shut the bank down to protect depositors.

ARE THE DEPOSITS NOW SAFE?

From a practical perspective, the FDIC is now running the bank. It is typical for the FDIC to shut a bank down on a Friday and have the bank reopen the following Monday. In this case, the FDIC has already announced that the bank will reopen on March 13 as the Deposit Insurance National Bank of Santa Clara. At the end of 2022, SVB had $175.4 billion in deposits. It’s not clear

SVB, as it’s known, was the biggest US lender to fail since the 2008 global financial crisis – and the second-biggest ever. We asked William Chittenden, associate professor of finance at Texas State University, to explain what happened and whether Americans should be worried about the safety of their financial system

how much of those deposits remain with the bank and how much of those are insured and 100% safe. For depositors with $250,000 or less in cash at SVB, the FDIC said that customers will have access to all of their money when the bank reopens. For those with uninsured deposits at SVB – basically anything above the FDIC limit of $250,000 – they may or may not receive back the rest of their money.

WHAT WAS THE LAST US BANK TO FAIL?

Prior to the failure of SVB, the most recent bank failures occurred in October 2020,

when both Almena State Bank in Kansas and First City Bank of Florida were taken over by the FDIC. Both of these banks were relatively small – with about $200 million in deposits combined. SVB was the biggest bank to fail since September 2008, when Washington Mutual failed with $307 billion in assets. WaMu fell in the wake of investment bank Lehman Brothers’ collapse, which nearly took down the global financial system. On the whole, U.S. bank failures aren’t all that common. For example, there were none in 2021 and 2022.

IS THERE ANY RISK THAT MORE BANKS MIGHT FAIL?

At the end of 2022, SVB was the 16th-largest bank in the United States with $209 billion in assets. That sounds like a lot – and it is – but that’s just 0.91% of all banking assets in the U.S. There is little risk that SVB’s failure will spill over to other banks. Having said that, SVB’s collapse does highlight the risk that many banks have in their investment portfolios. If interest rates continue to rise, and the Federal Reserve has indicated that they will, the value of the investment portfolios of banks across the U.S. will continue to go down.

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

China is emerging as a dominant player in geopolitics, slowly trying to dislodge the US from its pedestal. Its latest diplomatic move to help revive diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the two powerful adversaries in the Gulf region, marks USA’s receding influence. The two countries have not had diplomatic relations for the past seven years. Iran is already against America and Israel because of their attempt to isolate Teheran over its nuclear weapons programme. Iran and Saudi Arabia will also revive a security cooperation pact. Israel must be as concerned over this diplomatic coup by China as the US which is being increasingly marginalized in global politics. For the peace process to sustain, the two Islamic nations will have to stop their proxy war in Yemen’s sectarian hostilities. It could then bring peace between Iran backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed exiled government. Ramifications of this deal may also be felt in Syria and Lebanon.

Be

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problems and make their lives more convenient.

Nitin Gadkari @nitin_gadkari

INDIAN

START-UPS FEEL SVB TREMORS

The collapse of a bank located faraway in the famous Silicon Valley on Friday night sent tremors across the globe, including India. Shares of the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) crashed by about 60 percent after it incurred a huge loss on its bond holding of $21 billion dollars. The estimated loss was of around $1.8 billion. This was not unexpected as the central banks have been raising interest rates to fight inflation. In the last 12 months the US Federal Reserve has hiked the interest rates by 4.5 percentage points. The panic led to a huge fall in global stock markets with Sensex falling by 900 points.

Shares of the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) crashed by about 60 percent after it incurred a huge loss on its bond holding of $21 billion dollars. The estimated loss was of around $1.8 billion

Before the rate hike process began, several US-based Indian start-ups had parked huge amounts of money in the SVB which has now been shut down by the US regulators. Some of the deposits were more than $250,000. The SVB began investing in Indi-

an ventures in 2003 and about 20 start-ups are exposed to the risk now posed by the collapse, much like the collapse of Lehman Bank and closure.

The SVB, however, has enough funds to pay off its insured depositors. The SVB’s custodian has been quoted as saying that the bank has $175 billion in deposits and $209 billion assets.

The collapse has come as a rude shock in the world of tech start-ups. The main concern of Indian startups is over transfer of their assets.

Pinterest board member Gokul Rajaram summed up the situation: “India-based founders don’t know who to turn to as an alternative to SVB. Likely true for founders in other countries too…”

Shri Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi Marg, which connects two important religious places in Maharashtra, Alandi and Pandharpur, was inspected today along with MP Shri Ranjit Singh Naik Nimbalkar ji and officials. #PragatiKaHighway #GatiShakti #PalkhiMarg

Skilled craftsmen symbols of self-reliant India: Modi

It was the last of a series of 12 post-budget webinars organized by the govt to seek ideas and suggestions for effectively implementing the initiatives announced in the Union Budget 2023

New Delhi (ANI):

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday addressed a post-Budget Webinar on the subject of ‘PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman’.

The webinar was the last and final of a series of 12 post-budget webinars organized by the government to seek ideas and suggestions for effectively implementing the initiatives announced in the Union Budget 2023. Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that for the last three years, a tradition of a post Budget dialogue with the stakeholders has emerged.

The PM expressed happiness that all stake-

Tripura: 3 held over attack on Cong-Left MPs

Sepahijala ( ANI):

Three persons have been arrested in connection to an attack on the joint team of Congress and Left Front MPs in State’s Nehalchandranagar, Tripura Police said on Saturday.

According to the police, the joint delegation was allegedly attacked by a mob, while they were on a visit to Bishalgarh to meet affected families by post-poll violence. The Tripura Police safely escorted the delegation.

holders have participated productively in these discussions. He noted that instead of discussing the making of the Budget, the stakeholders have discussed the best possible ways of implementing

the provisions of the Budget.

The Prime Minister remarked that the series of post-budget webinars is a new chapter where the discussions held inside the Parliament by Parliamentar-

Same happened in 2017: Nitish on CBI, ED action

Patna (PTI): Bihar

ians are being held by all stakeholders where getting valuable suggestions from them makes for very useful practice.

The Prime Minister said that today’s webinar is dedicated to the skill and expertise of the crores of Indians.

Referring to skilling and creating job opportunities for crores of youth through Skill India Mission and Kaushal Rozgar Kendra, Prime Minister Modi emphasized the need for a specific and targeted approach. PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman Yojana or PM Vishwakarma, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said is a result of this thinking.

Explaining the need for the scheme and the rationale of the name ‘Vishwakarma’, the Prime Minister talked about the exalted status of Lord Vishwakarma in the Indian ethos and a rich tradition of respect for those who work with their hands with implements. The Prime Minister said while a few sectors’ artisans received some attention, many classes of artisans such as carpenters, ironsmiths, sculptors, masons and many others that are an integral part of society have been adapting to the changing times to fulfill the needs of the society that were ignored.

Will KCR’s daughter be arrested?

Mahesh Sharma

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia was called by the CBI for the second time when the party leaders started saying that he would be arrested. And literally in the second appearance itself, the central agency arrested him. In the liquor scam case in which Sisodia has been arrested by the CBI, the ED called Kavitha, daughter of Telangana Chief

IN THE COURTYARD

LITIGANT GIVES FAKE CLAIM FOR COMPENSATION, COURT DIRECTS DELHI POLICE TO REGISTER FIR

Prayagraj: A Motor Accident Claims Tribunal here has asked the Delhi Police to register an FIR against a litigant and probe her for placing on record a fake court order to claim Rs 23.50 lakh as compensation. The tribunal’s Presiding Officer Ekta Gauba Mann said the attempt by the litigant Pooja to wrongfully claim the compensation awarded to the petitioner in another case was a “very serious issue”. “It appears the applicant Pooja has prepared a fake order of this court dated December 1, 2021, by getting it fabricated by mentioning in place of Pushpa Rajwar vs Nawab Ali as Pooja vs the State and others and by mentioning in place of the name of this court the wrong name of the court as Ekta Gautam Mann,” the judge said.

PLEAS ON SAME-SEX

MARRIAGES IN APEX

COURT ON MONDAY

New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a batch of pleas seeking legal validation for same-sex marriages on Monday.

According to Monday’s (March 13) cause list uploaded on the apex court’s website, the pleas are listed for hearing before a bench. The apex court had, on January 6, clubbed and transferred to itself all such petitions pending before different high courts, including the Delhi High Court.

HAND CHOPPING CASE: NIA ANNOUNCES `10L REWARD FOR INFO

Kochi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for providing information on the whereabouts of one Sawad the prime accused in the 2010 Kerala hand chopping case, an official said on Saturday. Sawad is a resident of Ernakulam district in Kerala. The case pertains to the chopping of a professor, T.J. Joseph’s right hand in July 2010 by the activists of the now-banned organisation, Popular Front of India.

COURT SAYS MUKHTAR ANSARI’S IS THE MOST DREADED GANG, DENIES BAIL TO ITS MEMBER

Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court has denied bail to a member of Mukhtar Ansari gang in a 2010 murder case in Mau in which the jailed gangster-turned-politician is also an accused. The court said Ansari’s gang is the “most dreaded criminal gang of India” and it is possible that the accused, Ramu Mallah, could influence witnesses and their deposition in the case if allowed to come out of jail. Mallah, who is being tried in several other cases, had moved the bail application.

Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and a member of the state Legislative Council, for questioning. Earlier the CBI has questioned her. So, it can be said that

she too has a ‘second calling’. However, till now her party has not started saying that she too can be arrested. But this matter is being discussed.

KARNATAKA

MY STATEMENTS FORGED, FORCED ME TO SIGN: PILLAI

New Delhi: Hyderabadbased businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai, arrested in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise scam, has moved a city court accusing the ED of forging his statements in the matter. The ED had claimed that he is a close aide of BRS MLC and Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao’s daughter K Kavitha.

ASSEMBLY POLLS

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday hinted that he agreed with the contention of ally Rashatriya Janata Dal (RJD) that the recent crackdown on its president Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members by the CBI and ED was “politically motivated”. This was in contrast to the stand he took in 2017, when he had wanted the ally to come clean on charges of corruption.

The CM and JD(U) leader also rubbished speculations that he was maintaining an eloquent silence on the issue because of anxieties about tarnishing his own image for probity by aligning with “tainted” politicians and could even be thinking of breaking away with the “Mahagathbandhan”, which besides RJD, also includes Congress and the Left.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was approached with queries by journalists who wanted to know about his views on the questioning of Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi by CBI earlier this week, followed by raids conducted on a number of premises, including houses of his three daughters and a daughter in law by ED on Friday and a fresh summons issued by the CBI to younger son and Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav.

BJP govt’s term to end on May 24: CEC

Bengaluru (Agencies)

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said on Saturday that the term of fifteenth legislature in Karnataka will end on May 24.

“There are 5,21,73,599 voters in Karnataka. I have discussed with all party representatives, election officers and BBMP staff in connection with poll preparation,” the CEC said.

Addressing a press conference Kumar said that he had discussed with the representa-

LALU FAMILY FREE TO MOVE COURT IF HAVE PROOF AGAINST US: BIHAR LoP

Patna (Agencies):

Amid RJD national president Lalu Yadav’s family and associates allegation that the BJP is misusing the central agencies, Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Assembly Vijay Kumar Sinha on Saturday said such statement will not be of any help, and if they have any proof, they are free to move court. Issuing statements

PGV CONDEMNS ACTION AGAINST TEJASHWI

New Delhi (PTI):

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday alleged that the BJP-led government is indulging in politics of “suppressing” the unyielding voices of the Opposition, and claimed that the action by probe agencies against Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav was part of this.

in the media would not help them, he claimed.“Instead of blaming the BJP, the Lalu family should disclose how they have obtained such a big amount of money. They are misleading people. If they have any proof against BJP of misusing the central agencies or have any proof against any BJP leaders, they are free to go to the court,” Sinha said.

KHARGE RAPS SEARCHES AT YADAV HOUSES

New Delhi (PTI): Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday accused the Narendra Modi govt of making “sinister attempts to kill democracy” by misusing probe agencies against Opposition leaders, as he slammed the Centre over the ED searches on the premises of former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family.

PM Modi to inaugurate B’luru-Mysuru E-way

SENIOR CITIZENS, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY TO GET VOTE-FROM-HOME OPTION: ECI

Bengaluru (ANI): CEC Rajiv Kumar on Saturday said all senior citizens above 80 and people with disability will get a vote-from-home option in the Karnataka Assembly elections.“For the first time, we are going to provide in Karnataka the facility to all 80 plus and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) voters, if they so desire, to vote even from their homes. There is a form 12D which will be available within five days of the notification so that any 80 plus or PwD voter, desirous of voting from home, can be facilitated,” he added.

tives for three days on holding elections transparently. Chief Election Commissioner expressed his displeasure over

low rate of voter turn-out especially in Bengaluru in 2018 general assembly elections. Bengaluru has emerged as the IT hub and de-

spite this, lower percentage of voting is disheartening, he said. The voter’s turnout in urban areas has come down, he stressed.

SPIRIT OF MOTHERHOOD

Bengaluru (ANI): PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Karnataka on March 12 where he will dedicate the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway to the nation. The 118 km long project has been developed at a total cost of around Rs 8,480 crores. It will reduce the travel time between Bengaluru and Mysuru from around 3 hours to about 75 minutes. Besides, he will inaugurate and lay foundation stones of various projects of Hubballi-Dharwad smart city.

CREDIT WAR OVER K’TAKA EXPRESSWAY INTENSIFIES

Bengaluru: Credit war on Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway intensified in with BJP stepping up its attack on JD(S) accusing it of attempting to claim credit for the project.

BJP MLA KS Eshwarappa dubbed the “attempts” of JD(S) to “claim” credit for the project.

Microsite on PM’s website remembers ‘Maa’

The site also features Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s special blog, which he wrote for his mother as she approached her 100th year

New Delhi (PTI): ‘Maa’, a micro-site on PM Narendra Modi’s official website, that pays tribute to the memory of his mother and celebrates the unwavering spirit of motherhood has been launched.

Heeraba Modi, moth-

er of PM, passed away on December 30, 2022. Condolences and heartfelt sympathies poured in from around the world following her passing away.

The microsite ‘Maa’, which is dedicated to Heeraba, celebrates the unwavering spirit

of motherhood and pays tribute to her memory.

The website captures the love and unbreakable bond shared be -

tween a mother and her son. The microsite carries videos and selected quotes of Heeraba that convey the teachings she imparted to her children.

The site also features Prime Minister Modi’s special blog, which he wrote for his mother as she approached her 100th year.

There is also an audio version of the blog narrated in Hindi.

Heeraba Modi’s life and journey are cap -

tured in four sections of the website – life in public domain, nation remembers, the world condoles and celebrating motherhood.

In the section ‘life in public domain’, photographs and videos illustrate the humble and simple life of Heeraba. This section also contains quotes from various blogs and interviews with PM Modi on his mother as well as public artwork celebrating their bond.

DELHI EXCISE SCAM

PM Narendra Modi with his mother Heeraba. —FILE PHOTO

BRS MLC K Kavitha arrives at ED office in New Delhi on Saturday.

PM Narendra Modi addresses post-budget webinar on ‘PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman’ on Saturday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Bihar Guv Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar with CM Nitish Kumar.

GoI writes to States, UTs over H1N1, H3N2 cases

Kaushik death: Police to examine CCTV footage

FROM P1... My husband...

dren, old age people and people suffering from comorbidities who are particularly at risk and vulnerable to H1N1, H3N2, Adenoviruses, etc.

The letter said gradual rise in COVID-19 test positivity rates in some States is a concerning issue that needs to be promptly addressed.

Union Health Secy says special care should be taken in case of young kids and elderly New Delhi (ANI): Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan in a letter to the States and Union Territories on Saturday expressed his concerns over the rising trend in other Influenzalike Illnesses & Severe Acute Respiratory Illnesses (ILIs/SARIs) being witnessed in some States/UTs across India.

The letter said that it is important to raise community awareness regarding adherence to respiratory and hand hygiene, promoting early reporting of symptoms, and limiting the contact of those people who are suffering from respiratory illness. “In the present season, a variety of

weather conditions and behavioural reasons (like less than adequate attention to personal hygiene, sneezing and coughing without proper protection in close proximity of other people, closed indoor gatherings of people, etc.)

CRUCIAL READ

PRAMOD TIWARI IS CONG’S RS Dy LEADER, RAJANI PATIL WHIP

make the environment conducive to the circulation of a number of viral respiratory pathogens like Influenza A (H1N1, H3N2 etc.), Adenoviruses, etc,” the letter reads. He added that special care should be taken in the case of young chil-

“Despite low number of new cases, equally low number of hospitalisations and significant advances made in terms of COVID-19 vaccination coverage, there is a need to remain vigilant and focus on the five-fold strategy of testtrack-treat-vaccination and adherence to COVID appropriate behaviour.”

COURTESY MEET!

Guwahati: The Border Security Force (BSF) Guwahati Frontier foiled a smuggling bid and apprehended one narcotic smuggler along with prohibited Yaba (Methamphetamine) tablets on the Indo-Bangladesh international border, officials said on Saturday. They further said based on reliable input, on March 11, BSF troops apprehended one Indian smuggler and seized 718 Nos prohibited Yaba Tablets worth Rs 3.59 lakh from his possession.

New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday approved the appointment of Pramod Tiwari as deputy leader of the party in Rajya Sabha. He has taken over the post left vacant by Anand Sharma. The party also approved the appointment of Rajani Patil as the party’s whip in the Upper House. Sources said the appointments were made by the Congress president to fill the vacancies following the retirement of Anand Sharma and the demise of Rajeev Satav.

AIR HOSTESS JUMPS TO DEATH FROM FLAT ON 4th FLOOR IN BENGALURU APARTMENT

Bengaluru: An air hostess, who flew down to the city from Dubai to meet her male friend, reportedly jumped to her death on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.

According to police, the incident took place on the premises of Renuka Residency in Koramangala locality. The deceased has been identified as 28-year-old Archana from Himachal Pradesh. She had jumped from the fourth floor of the apartment. Preliminary investigations reveal that she worked for a reputed airline company and had come down from Dubai to meet her friend Adesh, a software professional. Adesh hailed from Kerala and is working in Bengaluru. Police state that both were in a relationship for the past several years.

FIRE BREAKS OUT AT BANQUET HALL IN FARIDABAD

Kerala’s church body seeks ban on drama

Guwahati: Assam Police have seized 1.3 kg drugs near border with Mizoram, officials said on Saturday.

The seizure was made from a vehicle on Friday, which also led to the arrest of three persons on charges of drugs peddling. The vehicle was reportedly coming from Mizoram.“Yesterday (Friday), we got a tip-off that a car heading from Mizoram was transporting drugs. We deployed a naka to monitor the route and stopped a car. We discovered 100 drug-filled soap containers totaling 1.3 kg during the check,” the police said.

Faridabad (ANI): A fire broke out at Summer Grand Banquet Hall, Sector 10, Faridabad, officials said on Saturday. “Short circuit is likely to be the reason for the fire at the Banquet Hall. Fire brigade team is present on the spot,” informed officials. Firefighting efforts are underway to douse the fire. Earlier on March 10, a fire broke out at a shop next to Mesco School in the Mumbra area of Maharashtra’s Thane, informed the officials. Reportedly, the fire broke out on the ground floor of the building and spread to the upper floors.

Kochi (PTI): Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC), the apex body of the Catholic Church in the state, has urged the state government to ban the staging of a Malayalam drama alleging that it portrayed Christianity along with its congregations and convents in a bad light.

A recent meeting of bishops and heads of various congregations, chaired by KCBC president Cardinal Baselios Cleemis here, condemned the play ‘Kakkukali’ and opined that its staging was a blot on the culture of Kerala. A play based on the

New Delhi (ANI): After receiving the detailed post-mortem report of Bollywood actor Satish Kaushik, the Delhi Police is examining seven hours of CCTV footage at the farmhouse in Delhi where he celebrated Holi. The detailed post-mortem report of Kaushik confirms that the death was a “natural” one and occurred due to cardiac arrest. According to the post-mortem report, the cause of death was cardiac arrest due to coronary artery blockage which is associated with coronary artery diseases. Death appears to be natural in manner, sources said.

“OBJECTIONABLE MEDICINE FOUND FROM FARMHOUSE”

New Delhi: Delhi Police have found packets of ‘objectionable medicine’ from the farm house in Bijwasan where Satish Kaushik fell ill after playing Holi, and later died on the way to hospital.

The farm house belongs to Kaushik’s friend Vikas

Malu. Police are now trying to find out who the medicines were meant for. It will be clear after investigation if Satish Kaushik had anything to do with it, sources said. The police have also discovered that there was an old rape case against Vikas Malu.

She made the claim in a complaint she lodged with the Delhi Police Commissioner’s office, alleging that Kaushik was demanding the money back which her husband didn’t want to repay. She alleged that Kaushik was murdered with some pills which were arranged by her husband. The woman claimed that she got married to the businessman on March 13, 2019, adding that she was introduced to Kaushik by her husband and the late actor met them regularly in India and Dubai. She claimed that on August 23, 2022 Kaushik had visited their house in Dubai and demanded Rs 15 crore from her husband.

WBSSC case: Kin of Didi, Min in black list

Kolkata: The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) has published a list 842 nonteaching staff in the Group-C category of different state-run schools whose services have been terminated following an order from a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court.

Of names figuring in list, two names are currently in focus as they are relatives of CM Mamata Banerjee and Minister Srikanta Mahata. The 155th name on the list is that of Bristy Mukherjee posted the at Bolpur High School in Birbhum district. It

NPCL’s new initiatives for its consumers

Noida: The NPCL has announced installation of additional supply indication lamps at the point of supply for its consumers residing in group housing societies.

story of Malayalam writer Francis Noronha, ‘Kakkukali’ revolves around a young nun and her struggles and challenges which she comes across in a convent.

Alappuzha-based Neythal Nataka Sangham gave the story a stage adaptation under the direction of Job Madathil.

“We understand that our consumers face difficulties determining whether the grid supply is available or not, especially during power outages. To address this, we have installed additional indication lamps at the point of supply, which will help consumers verify whether grid supply is available or not when there is no supply in their individual dwelling unit,” NPCL said.

SALUTE TO THE TALENT

is learnt that she is a niece of the CM and her father Nihar Mukherjee happens to be the maternal cousin of CM Mamata Banerjee. Admitting about the family ties, Nihar Mukherjee told medi persons that his connections with the administrative head of the state are extremely limited these days.

Anurag Thakur inaugurates 4th Y20 Consultation Meet in Pune

First India Bureau

Pune: The fourth Y20 Consultation Meeting was held at the Symbiosis International University (SIU) in Pune on Saturday Union Minister for Youth affairs & Sports and Information & Broadcasting Anurag

Thakur was the Chief Guest for the inauguration ceremony. Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said “I am delighted to be in Pune, a city known for its thriving manufacturing industry, which is home to some of the world’s largest automo-

bile engineering and electronics companies. Pune’s reputation as the cultural capital of Maharashtra and a leading education hub cannot be overstated.

With over 10 universities and 100 institutes, the city has been a beacon of knowledge and culture for generations,

attracting students and scholars from across the world. Institutions like Symbiosis provide quality education to thousands of students across the globe. There could not be a better place to organize this Y20 event. Such institutions sow and nurture the seeds of change.”

In you, world saw glimpse of India’s sporting prowess: PM to Sania

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India’s Tennis sensation Sania Mirza has posted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s letter, dated March 9, on her Twitter handle

New Delhi (PTI): “In your excellence, the world saw a glimpse of India’s sporting prowess,” PM Narendra Modi told Sania Mirza while congratulating the legendry athlete for her glorious career in which she illustrated that “more women can pursue tennis and excel in it”.

Sania, who won six Grand Slam titles in her career, bid adieu to the game last month in Dubai, where she played her final tournament.

In his congratulatory message to Sania, the PM conveyed that Sania has left an indelible

mark on Indian sports, inspiring the coming generation of athletes. Sania posted the let-

ter, dated March 9, on her twitter handle.

“Tennis lovers will find it difficult to fathom that you will not be playing professionally now onwards,” he wrote.

“…..In your excellence, world saw a glimpse of India’s sporting prowess. When you began playing, India’s tennis landscape was very different. What you did was to illustrate that more women can pursue tennis and excel in it.

“But, beyond that,

your success also gave strength to several other women who wanted to pursue a career in sports but for some reason or the other were hesitant to do so,” wrote the PM adding that Sania’s success filled every Indians’ heart with pride. The PM also recollected the time Sania went through a tumultuous phase, when a wrist injury almost jeopardised her career, before she emerged a strong double player.

SANIA THANKS PM FOR HIS INSPIRING WORDS AFTER HER FAREWELL MATCH

New Delhi (ANI): Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza on Saturday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his kind and inspiring words after the player bid an emotional adieu to the sport in her hometown of Hyderabad at the venue where it all started for her as a 16-year-old.

PM

Modi in a letter to Mirza said that as India’s best tennis player, she had left an indelible mark on

Indian sports, inspiring the coming generations of athletes. “I would like to thank you Honorable Prime Minister @ narendramodi Ji for such kind and inspiring words. I have always taken great pride in representing our country to the best of my ability and will continue to do whatever I can to make India proud. Thank you for your support,” tweeted Sania.

SMUGGLER HELD NEAR INDO-B’DESH BORDER WITH YABA TABLETS

1.3 KG DRUGS SEIZED NEAR ASSAMMIZORAM BORDER

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan. —FILE PHOTO

People stand near a sand art of actor-director Satish Chandra Kaushik created by sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik, in Puri.

Anurag Thakur lights a camp to inaugurate the event in Pune.

Tennis player Sania Mirza and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

President Droupadi Murmu with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on Saturday.

GHAZIABAD: `140 CR TO DEVELOP HIGHSTREET RETAIL PROJ

‘STROKE BY STROKE’

‘RBI should think about decoupling from Fed’

New Delhi : Realty firm

SKA Group on Saturday said it will invest Rs 140 crore to develop a commercial project at Ghaziabad. The project ‘SKA Arcadia’ will have around 2.5 lakh square feet of highstreet retail spaces. DelhiNCR based SKA Group has majorly focused on development of affordable group housing projects in Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida. This will be SKA’s first commercial project. Group director said there is strong demand for high-street retail projects. —PTI

CYCLE PURE CREATES WOMEN'S DAY FILM USING AI

Kolkata (PTI): The RBI should "pause and think" if it can continue mirroring the US Federal Reserve "stroke by stroke" in terms of rate hikes or decouple from the American central bank, SBI group chief economic adviser Soumya Kanti Ghosh said.

Ghosh said he does not see an end to the rate hike cycle of the Fed in the short-term, which makes a case for the RBI to contemplate about decoupling.

"My point is can we match the Fed stroke by stroke? At some point of time we need to pause and think whether the impact of the earlier rate hikes (by the RBI) has percolated down into the system... I don't see any end to the Fed's cycle soon, it could be three or more rate hikes going ahead," Ghosh said. He was speaking at a

Bengaluru: Amidst the plethora of films created by brands to celebrate women, one film that clearly stands out from the rest is the unique video made by Cycle Pure Agarbathi. The film was created using artificial intelligence. Elaborating about the idea, Arjun Ranga, MD, Cycle pure Agarbathi says, “Since 1948, women have defined and shaped the course of our company. Over 75% of our workforce comprises of women.” —PTI

LOYALTY PROG WINNERS DECLARED BY PINGPONG

session organised by the Bharat Chamber of Commerce here.

In January 2023, the country’s inflation jumped up to 6.52 %, above the RBI’s tolerance level of 6%. This came after infla-

Aethleti Circle signs Kabbadi star Naveen for multi-year deal

New Delhi (ANI): Indian sports management company Aethleti Circle has signed Kabaddi star, Indian raider Naveen Kumar Goyat to its athlete representation vertical. Naveen, who plays for Dabang Delhi in the Pro-Kabbadi League, has signed a multi-year contract with Aethleti Circle. The company will exclusively manage all of the athlete’s commercial interests.

tion remaining above 6% for 10 out of twelve months in 2022.

Most economists believe that the RBI will hike rates to soften inflation, which in recent times has been spurred by food prices.

JUMP IN PERCENTAGE

z In January 2023, the country’s inflation jumped up to 6.52%, above the RBI’s tolerance level of 6%. This came after inflation remaining above 6% for 10 out of twelve months in 2022

The US Federal Reserve has also been raising rates and has actually been more aggressive than the RBI, raising policy rates by 4.5 % since March 1, last year.

"If you look into the 2008 cycle, you will see that cen-

tral banks raised rates in unison but when they cut rates, they did so based on country-specific factors... The RBI needs to think if we can decouple from the Fed or see if we are keeping pace with them," Ghosh told PTI on the sidelines of the event.

He said the RBI has raised interest rates by 250 basis points since May 2020, and this cycle is still underway. The repo rate at present stands at 6.50 %.

z Most economists believe that the RBI will hike rates to soften inflation. which in recent times has been spurred by food prices

z The US Federal Reserve has also been raising rates and has actually been more aggressive than the RBI

"We need to ensure there is an end to this rate hike cycle and that should be datadependent, otherwise at some point of time, this could hurt India's economic recovery," the senior SBI official said.

On speculations of a possible global recession and its impact on India, Ghosh said there have been talks of a slowdown of exports in such a situation, but a recent SBI report suggests otherwise.

Two Indian-Americans in US advisory panel for trade policy and negotiations

Washington (PTI): US

President Joe Biden on Friday named two IndianAmericans -- Revathi Advaithi, CEO of Flex, and Manish Bapna, CEO of the Natural Resources Defence Council -- to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.

New Delhi: PingPong, a pioneer in providing endto-end payment solutions for global cross-border businesses, has announced the names of its loyalty programme winners. PingPong offers global e-commerce sellers the ability to manage multiple currencies on a single, secure platform across the US, Europe and Asia. PingPong Payments celebrated its 7th global anniversary with a virtual expo, called ‘Soul of India’, and announced a loyalty programme to thank and honour its clients. —PTI

RATAN P

WATAL NOW INTO THE BOARD OF TB ALLIANCE

Aethleti Circle is one of the fastest growing sports start-ups in India and has a number of international athletes in its roster. The addition of a star athlete like Naveen is certainly a big boost to the company’s ambitions as it aims to revolutionise the Indian sports industry. Aethleti Circle has a number of verticals and assists athletes with sponsorship, sports science, PR, legal aspects and many other areas.

Naveen is a household name in the Indian sporting fraternity. He won the ‘Most Valuable Player award’ in season 8 of the PKL and his team Dabang Delhi KC were crowned the champion in the same season. The 23-year-old is very excited to have signed up for Aethleti Circle. “As a player, it will help me concentrate more on my

FASTEST GROWING

z Aethleti Circle is one of the fastest growing sports start-ups in India and has a number of international athletes in its roster

z The addition of a star athlete like Naveen is certainly a big boost to the company’s ambitions as it aims to revolutionise the Indian sports industry

game and take my career to the next level. I can fully focus on what I am doing on the mat while Aethleti takes care of my commercial interests”, he said.

Naveen made his PKL debut in 2018 with Dabang Delhi and in Season 8 of the league, he became the fastest player to reach 600 points in the history of the league.

INDIA’S FOREX RESERVES

New Delhi: TB Alliance, a New York-based global not-for-profit organization, has appointed Ratan P Watal to its Board of Directors. Welcoming Ratan Watal, CEO, Melvin Spigelman, said, “We are extremely delighted to welcome Ratan P Watal as a Board Member of TB Alliance. Ratan’s deep experience and knowledge in the healthcare ecosystem, especially in India, will be invaluable for TB Alliance as we work to ensure universal access to breakthrough TB drugs.” —ANI

On Friday, Biden announced his intent to appoint 14 people to the Advisory Committee, which provides overall policy advice to the United States Trade Representative on matters of development, implementation, and administration of the US trade policy.

Among these include negotiating objectives and bargaining positions before entering into trade agreements, the impact of the implementation of trade agreements, matters concerning the operation

of any trade agreement once entered into, and other matters arising in connection with the development, implementation, and administration of the trade policy of the United States, the White House said.

Revathi Advaithi is CEO of Flex, "global manufacturing partner of choice that helps a diverse customer base design and build products to improve world".

NFT TRADE VOLUME HIT USD 2 BN, SALES DECREASE BY 32% FROM JAN

New Delhi (ANI): According to a recent report released by DappRadar, a web3 data platform, NFT trading volume reached 2 billion dollars in February. Though the NFT sales in the market decreased by 32% from January, the trading volume saw a whopping rise of 120%.

In 2014, Kevin Mckoy, a digital artist, made a video clip and registered it on the Namecoin blockchain. He then sold it to Anil Dash, an American technology executive, for 4 dollars. It was the first ever NFT created and sold. Now, the global market size of the NFT is expected to reach more than 211 billion dollars by 2030. The global market capitalization of the NFT market has seen a massive hike.

Rise by USD 1.46 bn to USD 562.4 bn: RBI

Mumbai (PTI): India’s foreign exchange reserves rose by USD 1.46 billion to USD 562.4 billion as of March 3, arresting the four successive weeks of fall, the Reserve Bank of India said.

The forex reserves had fallen by USD 15.8 billion during preceding four weeks. In previous week ending February 24, reserves had declined by USD 325 million to USD 560.942 billion, and the week before by a whopping USD 5.68 billion, showed Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data. The worst drop was in week to February 10 when reserves

plunged by a steep USD 8.32 billion to USD 566.95 billion.

The reserves have been falling as the rupee has

THE WORST DROP

z The forex reserves had fallen by USD 15.8 billion during preceding four weeks

z The worst drop was in week to February 10 when reserves plunged by a steep USD 8.32 billion to USD 566.95 billion. The reserves have been falling as the rupee has been under pressure

INTENT TO APPOINT 14

z Biden announced his intent to appoint 14 people to the Advisory Committee

z Which provides overall policy advice to the United States Trade Representative on matters of development, implementation, and administration of the US trade policy

Since assuming the role in 2019, Advaithi has been responsible for architecting the company's strategic direction and leading Flex through a transformation that is defining a new era in manufacturing, the White House said.

Prior to Flex, Advaithi was president and Chief Operating Officer for the electrical sector business for Eaton, a company with more than USD20 billion in sales and 102,000 employees. She has also worked at Eaton's electrical sector, Americas, and Honeywell, and serves on the Board of Directors of Uber and Catalyst.org.

Advaithi is a Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Advanced Manufacturing CEO Community and joined the WEF Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders.

Net direct tax collection reaches `13.73 L cr

New Delhi (PTI): Net direct tax collection so far this fiscal grew 17 % to reach Rs 13.73 lakh crore, which is 83 % of the revised target for the full financial year, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said on Saturday.

The growth in direct tax mop-up, which comprises personal income tax and corporate taxes, was driven by PIT collections.

On a gross basis, the collection grew 22.58 % to Rs 16.68 lakh crore.

riod in the preceding year. Direct tax collection, net of refunds, stands at Rs 13.73 lakh crore which is 16.78 % higher than the net collections for the corresponding period of last year.

This collection is 96.67 % of the total budget estimates and 83.19 % of the total revised estimates of direct taxes for the financial year 2022-23, the CBDT said in a statement.

been under pressure and monetary authority has been taking measures to defend currency from ex-

treme volatility. In 2022, cost of defending a falling rupee was over USD 115 billion of the reserves.

Refunds amounting to Rs 2.95 lakh crore have been issued during April 1, 2022 to March 10, 2023, which are 59.44 % higher than refunds issued during the same pe-

After adjustment of refunds, the net growth in CIT (Corporate Income Tax) collections is 13.62 % and that in PIT (Personal Income Tax) collections including STT (Securities Transaction Tax) is 20.06 %, it said.

If we really wish to enjoy life and learn from it, one should understand early on about what to skim on and what to drown in.

—Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor-in-Chief, First India

Mobile Lok Adalat imparts legal know-how to Maha villagers

FIRST INDIA SUNDAY SPECIAL

BY TRIDIB RAMAN

The author is a journalist and political commentator and views expressed are

CASE STATISTICS

his personal

O

Janardhana Reddy himself is likely to contest from

n the one hand, where K’taka polls have become a barb for BJP, a former BJP Minister & mining baron G Janardhana Reddy broke ties with BJP and launched his new party ‘Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha’ on December 25, 2022 which is causing displeasure to the Saffron Party. CBI has not only started tightening its noose on the Reddy brothers, but in the recent past, the Special Court of CBI has written letters to the governments of four countries i.e. Switzerland, Singapore, Aile of Man and UAE to arrest the Reddy brothers since 2008. Details of all transactions done during 2012 have been sought. In fact, BJP is facing a tough fight in upcoming polls in Karnataka, while it has received reports that ‘the Reddy brothers are favouring Congress in at least 15 assembly seats in the State’.Koppal’s Gangavathi seat and his wife Aruna Lakshmi from Bellary city. Karnataka BJP leaders have conveyed this to Amit Shah, who has asked them to keep calm. Soon after this, Karnataka CM Bommai’s statement came that ‘Reddy will return to his old party i.e. BJP’, but Janardhan Reddy called this claim, a rumour. It should be noted that both the brothers of Janardhana are currently MLAs in BJP. Janardhana Reddy has decided that ‘he will give his party ticket to big rebels of BJP and Congress and will also give financial assistance of Rs 5 crore to contest elections’. Reddy feels that ‘BJP didn’t support him when he was under pressure from investigative agencies over illegal mining’. He also feels that he has unknowingly been a victim of BL Santhosh vs Yeddiyurappa battle in party, because he was always counted among Yeddi’s loyal soldiers.

WHEN WILL CONGRESS NAT’L PREZ KHARGE’S NEW TEAM BE FORMED?

Mallikarjun Kharge was elected as the National President of the Congress on October 19, 2022 and a week later on October 26, he also took charge. It has been five months since then, but Kharge has not been able to form his new team. Kharge had dissolved all the existing committees of the party as soon as he became the President saying that ‘the new team will now sit there’, but till now the work of the party is going on with the help of the 47-member Steering Committee. When asked, a close friend of Kharge says, ‘since the Gandhi family has clearly said that there will be no interference of Sonia, Rahul or Priyanka in the formation of new committees, Kharge is meeting different groups of the party and seeking their opinion. We are contemplating.” Sources reveal that the blueprint of Kharge’s new team is almost ready and that Kharge is setting up a relatively small team, which is somewhere inspired by the team size of late Rajiv Gandhi. Only six General Secretaries can be made, one General Secretary can have the charge of usually 5 states. There will be a network of secretaries below them, and one secretary can get the responsibility of one state. The Secretary shall report to the General Secretary concerned. Keeping in view the general elections of 2024, the formation of an election management committee is also under consideration and after that an Election Department will also be formed. This Election Department will be entrusted with the responsibility of Lok Sabha as well as Assembly polls. There are already murmurs in the party that ‘where the BJP has already shelled out for the assembly elections, no such preparation is visible at the Congress’ side.’ Kharge is neither visiting the poll-bound states nor is he sending senior party people there. Kharge went to Nagaland with Shashi Tharoor only for one day during the North East elections. Kharge has gone to Karnataka, his home state, where elections are due, for just a day. Congress has been able to win only 8 seats out of 180 seats in the Northeast, which is a matter of concern for the Party.

UPROAR IN BIHAR CONGRESS

R

BJP is preparing for a grand celebration of construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya from January 1, 2024 to January 31, 2024, as any day after January 14, this grand Ram temple is to be inaugurated by Narendra Modi, and BJP’s intention is to make the country to convey the message that ‘If there is any real savior of Hindutva then it is our PM Narendra Modi!’

BET ON MODI’S FACE AND AMIT SHAH’S STRATEGY!

WHY HAS JANARDHANA REDDY BECOME A HEADACHE FOR BJP? ...AND FINALLY

First India Bureau Mumbai: To provide cheap and speedy justice to people, mobile Lok Adalats are preventing petty cases from piling up in courts. Sessions are conducted in villages and tribal areas to impart knowledge about basic legal rights and how to exercise them.

On March 09, a mobile Lok Adalat van from Mumbai region was flagged off by Raigad district judge Ashok Billare, principal district and sessions judge Shailaja S Sawant, and judge and secretary of Raigad District Legal Services Authority Amol Shinde.

Explaining its modus

operandi, Mahesh Dayma, court manager at Raigad district court informed, “The mobile Lok Adalat will visit remote villages in Raigad district, including Uran and Panvel talukas. Apart from resolving compoundable criminal cases and civil cases, including settling of compensation for motor vehicle accidents, will also

he BJP High Command has, in a way, decided that in coming assembly polls in MP and Raj, polls will be fought on face of Narendra Modi & strategy of Amit Shah However, sources reveal that according to reports received by party, party will have to field Shivraj in MP and Vasundhara Raje in Rajasthan as a functional face in upcoming polls. Till now, it was being speculated that the formula of U’khand, Gujarat and Tripura would be implemented in MP & the present CM Shivraj Chauhan would be called to Delhi and given some important responsibility at the Centre. But if reliable sources are to be believed, in a high-level core committee meet of BJP, top leadership rejected the idea outright saying, ‘the CM is doing a very good job, has come up with many good and new schemes. These schemes should be publicised among people.’ This clearly indicates that Shivraj will be given important responsibility in the election campaign in Madhya Pradesh itself in the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections to be held on November 23. As far as Rajasthan is concerned, Vasundhara Raje almost stunned her opponents in the party by a big show of strength on the occasion of her birthday in Salasar on March 4. The presence of about 55 out of 72 BJP MLAs and 12 MPs was recorded in this show of strength by Vasundhara, which was a surprise. BJP’s Rajasthan in-charge Arun Singh also specially came to Salasar to participate in this function, which was an indication that Vasundhara’s rapprochement with Delhi has increased. In that ceremony, Vasundhara supporters also raised an interesting slogan saying, ‘KesariyameinHaraHara, RajasthanmeinVasundhara.’Leopard spotted in Malad East society

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The footage of a leopard on the terrace of a bungalow in Malad East has scared residents of areas surrounding the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). This comes days after a big cat was spotted in Marol area of Mumbai.

In response, MLA Sunil Prabhu has written a letter to state Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar asking him to instruct the Forest Department to take appropriate measures.

The recent sighting occurred in the vicinity of New Dindoshi Royal Hills Co-operative Society, which houses 77 bungalows. Approximately 500 residents stay in the housing society.

ecently, the State Disciplinary Committee of Bihar Congress, under the chairmanship of Kripashankar Pathak, issued show cause notices to 5 state leaders - Siddharth Kshatriya, Prabhat Kumar Chandravanshi, Arshad Abbas Azad, Shakiur Rahman and Praveen Sharma. These leaders are accused of making some audio and video clips viral on social media regarding some alleged financial transactions about their State President Akhilesh Prasad Singh. Now, a section of the Bihar Congress is raising questions on this disciplinary committee itself that ‘this committee is fake, it is a disbanded committee.’ They argue that ‘when the party’s National President Kharge first dissolved all the elected committees of the party, then how does this disciplinary committee exist?’ Congress’s Bihar in-charge Bhakta Charan Das constituted this 5-member disciplinary committee in December 2021, which no longer exists legally. These days, there is a lot of hue and cry on the social media regarding Akhilesh Prasad’s ‘closeness’ with BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy. While some party leaders claim that ‘this entire matter is related to making delegates in Congress,’ Akhilesh is being accused that ‘he has put 70% names of his close people in the list of delegates’.On Friday, Surendra Patil, an official from the Mumbai Range of the Thane Forest Department (Territorial)

visited the bungalow where the leopard was spotted. Range Forest Officer (RFO) Rakesh Bhoir and his team are also in touch with locals and three camera traps have been installed. As per a report by Midday, on March 07 and 08, the CCTV cameras installed on the premises of one of the bungalows captured something unusual. The leopard was even captured leaping from one terrace to another in the middle of the night.

Local residents have urged authorities to take action and relieve their mental stress.

be imparting basic legal knowledge to villagers.”

“Maharashtra has three mobile Lok Adalat facilities, one each for Mumbai, Nagpur and Aurangabad regions. And the entire year’s programme for these adalats has been planned by the respective High Court Legal Services Committees and executed by the re-

spective District Legal Services Authority for the last three years,” pointed out a Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority official.

On March 10, the mobile Lok Adalat reached Telwade village, MurudJanjira taluka, Raigad. The preceding officer to chair the hearing was district judge (retired) Shrikant Upadhye.

As per National Judicial Data Grid Statistics, over 15.80 lakh civil and 33.16 lakh criminal cases are pending in various courts across Maharashtra. Data from the Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority, states that between April 2022 and January 2023, over 4,666 Lok Adalat sessions were held.

Lok Adalat is seen as a successful tool of dispute redressal, which takes place by discussion, counselling and conciliation and gives speedy justice as it can be organized at any place and can be arranged very fast.

—Mahesh Dayma, Court Manager, Raigad district court

BEST set to procure 2,100 e-buses

First India Bureau Mumbai: The BEST undertaking is set to induct around 2,100 electric buses to its fleet. Underlining its plan, the authority has already begun the tender process to facilitate the addition, which will be completed by September 2023. Buses will be inducted into the BEST fleet over a period of 1.5 years. According to a BEST official, currently, there are

As of now, there are only six electric vehicles in its fleet.

around 1,700 e-buses in the BEST fleet. Recently, an air-conditioned double-decker was pressed into service by the undertaking.

The undertaking has

BEAUTIFICATION

Students walk by a roadside wall decorated for the upcoming G20 summit, scheduled for March 19-20, in Nagpur city.

—PHOTO BY ANI

SAFETY CONCERNS

Defence forces halt HAL Dhruv fleet operations

Move comes after Navy helicopter experienced sudden loss of power and height two days ago

Ajit K Dubey

New Delhi: In the wake of the accident off the Mumbai coast two days ago, the defence forces have halted the operations of the HAL Dhruv helicopters. Decision to wait for investigators to

The copters are used by all three armed forces. —FILE

find the reason for the incident and conducting precautionary checks has been taken by defence authorities.

The ALH choppers are operated by all three

defence forces including the Army, Navy and Air Force along with the Indian Coast Guard.

All operations have been halted till the time investigators find out the

reason for the incident off the Mumbai coast and precautionary checks are carried out defence forces’ officials told ANI.

The HAL Dhruv choppers are used in multiple roles by the Indian defence forces including transportation of men and material. It has become one of the important parts of helicopter missions.

Defence officials said they were hopeful of resuming the HAL Dhruv operations very soon.

During the incident,

two days back, an Indian Navy HAL Dhruv on a routine flying mission off Mumbai coast experienced a sudden loss of power and rapid loss of height.

The Navy stated that the pilot carried out controlled ditching over water and all three aircrews exited the helicopter safely and were recovered as part of a swift rescue operation.

The ditched helicopter had deployed its emergency flotation gear and efforts are underway to salvage it.

A mobile Lok Adalat hearing underway.

—PHOTO BY ANI

Aims to ensure speedy legal recourse and prevent petty cases from piling up in courts

PHOTO

Mirch Masala

T

LET’S SUIT UP DIVE IN AND

Wto such a broad selection of swimwear. The ocean is the perfect place to unwind on a pleasant, sunlit afternoon while wearing your favourite bikini. Your attractiveness will definitely be enhanced by a chic swimsuit. These days, donning a sexy tiny string bikini is in fashion. The beach is the perfect place to show off your physique in an exhilarating way. Every woman aspires to appear stunning in a swimsuit. The swimsuit trend has advanced considerably. Bikinis were previously thought of as one- or two-piece bathing outfits. Most people could only find a few colours in the same traditional patterns. You will be captivated by the high-quality and appealing bikini wear, though, thanks to the current fashion.

On the shore, the women are coming up with fantastic methods to show off their suntanned bodies. The tops and bottoms that are offered individually can be mixed and matched. The swimsuits come in a variety of hues and fabrics as well. Modern bikini fashion is all about displaying your figure in a fashionable way. Your body is supported by cleverly designed swimwear, which helps to give it a fantastic form. Bikinis give a strikingly different look to your shapely bottoms. In many ways, bikinis have led the way in the fashion world. The designers have given us some great designs of bikinis.

SHUBHANSHI PATHAK cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

FLOWERS DON'T TELL, THEY SHOW

selves. The pansies have what seems to star on them. The best! And they are added to our purchasing basket. There is nothing wrong with choosing flowers this way, provided you can provide them with the right soil and sunlight.

How often have you planted a flower because it was beneficial, let's be real. How frequently have you walked into a greenhouse filled with beautiful flowers and thought, "Well, I'll bet that one over there would be a useful addition to our yard?" Likely never.

Flowers are nearly usually purchased with emotion in mind, let's face it. We might go to the greenhouse with the express purpose of purchasing flowers, but we pick the ones we find lovely.

Hey, look at that purple colour, we say to our-

There is, however, absolutely no reason why the lovely flowers you add to your home's landscaping can't serve two purposes. Several beautiful flowers also have practical purposes.

Of course, you should always speak with a medical practitioner before ingesting a plant for therapeutic purposes. We are only pointing out the therapeutic properties of specific plants for amusement and educational purposes. Before utilising plants to cure a medical ailment, kindly conduct your research. With getting that out of the way, let's take a look at some flowers that work hard and are more than ANISE HYSSOP You might be shocked to discover that anise hyssop is a fake. Indeed, it is neither hyssop nor anise. In actuality, it belongs to the mint family. Even now, it has a delightful liquorice flavour and aroma, which makes this exquisite blossom ideal for baking and cooking.

The anise, chervil, tarragon, and fennel leaves and seeds can be saved and used for the real ingredients. Anise hyssop tea has been made by several Native American tribes to combat depression. Anise

FACEOFTHEDAY

YOUR DAY

Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

hyssop tea also eases coldrelated chest congestion.

BEE BALM

If you grow these attractive blooms, which resemble a daisy with poor hair day, you'll please a lot of pollinators. The local mosquito population won't be happy, though. Mosquitoes don't like the strong aroma of bee balm, which is similar to the bergamot orange (thus the term "bergamot" for bee balm). If you prefer spending time outdoors, think about planting bee balm nearby to help ward off those both -

ARIES

MAR 21 - APR 20

Using your initiative at work will be much appreciated. You may get a chance to pursue old hobby. Health tips from an expert will enable you to get closer to your fitness goals. Your generous behavior would enable to enjoy some lovely moments with family.

LEO

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

Family will be most supportive, when it really matters for you. Some of you may add to your list of properties by booking a new one. It is good day to confess your love as stars appear favourable for positive reply. A long drive is likely to help you get over mental tiredness.

SAGITTARIUS

NOV 23 - DEC 22

You will succeed in resolving misunderstanding with family members, normalizing ties. Despite your misgivings, you retain good health. You will do much to bring peace and harmony at home. You will remain much in demand on social front. Some of you can get romantically involved.

ersome skeeters. But, this persistent bloom doesn't end there. The blooms and leaves are edible. To add colour to salads, add the petals. You may also use bee balm leaves for the tradi tional Earl Grey in a cup of black tea. The medical herb bee balm is used to treat sickness, and men strual cramps, and even to promote sleep.

CALENDULA

The cheerful calendula, often known as pot mari gold, has flowers that

TAURUS

APR 21 - MAY 20

Despite hectic schedule you will manage to find time for family. Seek the opinion of your family before finalizing a property deal. Your bold initiatives on romantic front bring back passion and spark in romantic relationship.Overall health remains fine.

VIRGO

AUG 24 - SEP 23

Avoid raising controversial issues at home to maintain harmony. Successful implementation of new ideas and projects would add to your prestige on the professional front. It is a wonderful day to build new connections. Your relationship requires you to be tactful.

CAPRICORN

DEC 23 - JAN 20

Happiness in the domestic sphere will only come with a changed mind set. Some of you are likely to become a part of an overseas official trip. Better to consult an expert in financial matters before making an investment. Harsh words may create a rift in your romantic relationship.

range in colour from light orange to dark brick red. And you should plant calendula if you enjoy using natural cosmetics. The flower is extremely nutritious and friendly to your skin, which is why it is used in a variety of tonics, toners, moisturisers, and salves. Calendula has antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. It helps to heal wounds and calm inflamed skin.

CHAMOMILE

It is simple to see why German chamomile is the most often used kind for chamomile cultivation. It produces a profusion of vivid, white blossoms with an apple fragrance that may be utilised in a variety of ways.

You're undoubtedly well aware of the tea's calming

en period discomfort, and it's an excellent element for skincare because it's both anti-inflammatory and antifungal. This fragrant flower may be found in the garden, where it repels deer and even moth caterpillars.

DAFFODILS

It may be time to get down and dirty and take care of business with daffodils if you have a problem with the taller four-legged pests creeping into your yard. Deer avoid daffodils because they are harmful to them (and to humans, so don't go eating them). To deter deer from entering your vegetable patch, think about planting these lovely springtime staples along the perimeter. A strong line of defence has never been more attractive.

GEMINI

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

Following a health diet will be a good idea. Luck favours you today on the professional front. Focussing on health now will help you in keeping physically fit. Clarity of mind and retentive power will help you forge ahead on the academic front.

LIBRA

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

Distant relatives may drop in for a surprise visit. On professional front, recognition for good work would motivate you to work harder. Those awaiting an affirmation on romantic front are likely to get lucky today, as partner responds positively. Health remains satisfactory.

AQUARIUS

JAN 21 - FEB 19

A friend or colleague may motivate you to take up a healthy activity. Parents may appear more than happy. Plans for overseas travel are likely to materialise. You are likely to get clearance or approval for your construction plans. You find things moving in the way you want them.

CANCER

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

Your intuition will save you from a tricky spot today. Yoga would help in raising energy levels and improve your metabolism. You will manage to achieve your aim through travel. This is a great time on the academic front, when you mange to render your best.

SCORPIO

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

Your efforts on the professional front will be recognised. Opting for some healthy choices will ensure you remain in perfect health. You will feel much happy and contented on the family front. Today you will enjoy the trust of senior management.

PISCES

FEB20 - MARCH 20

Gifting something to your beloved is likely to make the day memorable. Matrimonial match for siblings will bring happiness for entire family. You will get a good price for your property. Those awaiting results are assured of succeeding with flying colours.

Flowers are intriguing objects that we employ in our daily lives in a variety of ways. The majority of flowers’ fragrances and aesthetics are wonderful mood-lifters and a way to show affection. Moreover, there are flowers that are utilised in medicine. City First gives you some insight into flowers which are more than just a pretty face.

MRIDULA SHARMA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

KHUSHBU BIJAPARI, Model

JHOOTHI IN THE CITY!

Actress Shraddha Kapoor shared insights about her movie Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, in a chit-chat session with City First

UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in

Bollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor recently arrived in Jaipur to promote her upcoming film "Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar". This romantic comedy features Shraddha Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor in lead roles and is scheduled to be released on March 8, 2023, on the occasion of Holi at PVR Cinema, Jaipur.

During her promotional visit to Jaipur, Shraddha shared some interesting morsels about her personal life with the media. She revealed that the biggest lie she has ever told is "Bapu nahi maanenge".

When asked about her experience and how she has evolved as an actor through this completely oppo

site role of a liar, the actress said, "Yes, it was difficult, as my previous roles were different. Arohi from Aashiqui was a simple girl who lived for her passion and love whereas Aisha from Villain was a bubbly but brave girl who lived for others' happiness both characters are close to my heart. I am forever grateful to everyone who gave so much love to me on screen. And yes, my character in this film is opposite to my previous roles, initially, it was difficult for me to get into the all-time liar character but Luv sir helped us and here I am standing and claiming myself as the biggest 'Jhooti'.”

Shraddha also expressed her excitement about the film's release and said that she and Ranbir had a great time working together on this project. The duo will be seen sharing screen space for the first time in this film, which is directed by Luv Ranjan and produced by Luv Films and T-Series.

GHOSTY TRAILER!

Being a good actor

Kareena Kapoor Khan is unarguably one of the biggest fe male stars Hindi cinema has ever had. The celebrated actress, who made her acting debut in 2000 with the romantic dra ma Refugee, soon estab lished herself as one of the most sought-after talents of Bollywood. The acting ca reer was truly a rollercoast er career for Kareena Ka poor Khan, who has had some exceptional block busters and box office duds. However, she is now step ping into the 23rd year of her acting career and is to tally busy with some excep tional projects in her kitty. In a recent interview, Ka reena Kapoor Khan exten sively spoke about her act ing career, stardom, and much more. Interestingly, the talented actress re vealed that she never con sidered herself a star, de spite being one of the most sought-after talents of Bol lywood for over two dec ades. “I don’t consider my self a star. I believe every one is special. And I think, today everyone wants to be known as an actor, not a

SECURE BABY

wood. In a recent inter view, the actress opened up about motherhood and recalled being afraid initially thinking if she would like being a moth

Anushka Sharma re vealed that nothing pre pares you for parenthood and that one has to nose

'I would be crying MY EYES OUT'

Selena Gomez opens up about the effect of negative comments from online bullies on Thursday. The singer says that she lied about not getting affected by the body shamers but in reality, she would be crying her eyes out in the room. Gomez has always been quick to shut down the online body shamers along with being open about body pos-

she would go online and post a picture while encouraging herself that she will not accept whatever others are saying. But she would still be crying because no one should hear those things. The singer said that she posted pictures saying that it doesn’t bother her but in reality, she didn’t want it to bother others who are going through the same things. Gomez continued, ‘Getting shamed for what they look like, who they are, who they love, I just think it’s so

Kareena Kapoor Khan

Kajal Aggarwal

Poster of the film...

Arjun Bijlani as the co-host of Splitsvilla 14 has been getting a lot of appreciation. The actor is enjoying all the love and positivity being showered on him. He talks about taking up this popular youth-based reality show.

“The best compliment any host could get is that he connects with the audience without any effort.

It is my first season as a host and I think that's the best compliment because I have connected with the audience and most importantly with my co-anchor (Sunny Leone) and the contestants. I enjoyed every aspect of

IT WAS A BIG THING TO EVEN MANAGE A TICKET: SHAH RUKH T

he muchtalkedabout Netflix docuseries, ‘The Romantics’ which is a tribute to the legacy of Yash Chopra, YRF and its cultural impact on India and Indians for the past 50 years, was released on Feb 14 to unanimous acclaim and love. The national over-pouring of love for Yash Chopra and YRF was evident as The Romantics became the Number 1 trending title on Netflix within 48 hours of its drop, a rare feat for a docu-

mentary! In the docu-series, Shah Rukh Khan, who has established himself as the biggest global superstar that India has ever produced with Pathaan’s historic collections, speaks about how he fell in love with cinema and his first memories of watching a Hindi film in the theatre!

SRK says, “I come from a very lowermiddle-class family.

Television was hardly existent. There was only one channel - the stateowned channel (Doordarshan). And it showed a movie every Sunday. Also,

we would go and watch in our neighbour’s house, which had a television. And who would graciously allow all the kids to come? The good thing was there was no advertisement between the films.”

He adds, “Going to the theatre was a very big thing. Either it was an occasion, or it was a big film. There used to be black marketing of tickets. So, it used to be a big high (to even manage to get a ticket). I would ride back on my cycle and tell my mom - I managed! Even that was a big thing, to manage a ticket

Amitabh's cryptic note

for a big release whatever.”

From Aamir Khan to Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan to Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif to Anushka Sharma, the mega-stars and icons of Hindi cinema have come together and spoken about Yash Chopra and YRF’s contribution to Indian cinema in The Romantics. The Romantics has been directed by Oscar & Emmynominated filmmaker Smriti Mundhra, who returns to Netflix after the phenomenal success of Indian Matchmaking and the Never Have I Ever franchise.

Recently, Amitabh Bachchan was shooting for Project K with Prabhas in Hyderabad, when he met with an accident. In his blog on Sunday, the veteran actor shared that his 'rib cartilage popped broke'

date fans about his health as he shared a long note on how 'the body mechanism heals as rapidly as it injures'.

Amitabh wrote, 'One can sit back and lament lost opportunity or get up, retrieve it and beat it.

Yes, defeat, loss, and

suffering are painful, but the body mechanism heals as rapidly as it injures. Get up, get going, and get it... no philosophy here, no grand proclamations of adamant bravery or the incline to demonstrate a line of work for praise and will... those for whom work brings a fresh start, terests of the self, son... doing it to reflect in teaching to others is a fake, a falsehood doned... it is my body, my mind, my will, my

Mahesh on Anupam giving him money!

Anupam Kher's initial break in the entertainment industry was infamously provided by Mahesh Bhatt with the 1984 movie Saaransh, in which the 28-yearold Kher portrayed an elderly man.

Bhatt claimed that Kher still pays him after every successful movie because he was the one who gave him a break in a recent interview. “Anupam still does give me money. The last time he gave me money was after the phenomenal success of The Kashmir Files,” he said.

Splitsvilla,” expressed the actor.

Staying relevant is also something that the actor is ace at. “I have made a conscious effort to work hard, and I think because of that I'm relevant. You just keep working hard and try to do

better things and hope that with every passing day, better things happen to you and that only happens when you're positive. Working towards the goal is what drives me. In the bargain, I have also been relevant,” he explained.

Bhatt stated that Kher was in a dental clinic when he unexpectedly turned up there to seek money following the popularity of The Kashmir Files. “I said give me the money and he gave me. He has been giving me money ever since Saaransh became a success and those memories are memories, we must always draw from and not let the ideological differences that create a wedge between us, get the better of us,” he said.

HRITHIK FLAUNTS HIS TONED MUSCLES

rithik Roshan has shared a jaw-dropping picture of him flaunting his big biceps and spoke about the importance of food, sleep and meditation as important as a physical workout to maintain the perfect physique. Well, currently the actor is training hard for his upcoming movie Fighter and we have often seen him flexing his toned muscles on social media.

Taking to his Instagram, Hrithik Roshan shared a picture of him taking a mirror selfie in what appears to be

his gym. In the picture, the actor can be seen flexing his muscles. He can be seen wearing a white coloured vest over black tracks and paired it with a black cap. He flaunts his toned muscles in one arm while holding his phone to

click a selfie from the other hand. The actor, who is currently busy with his next film 'Fighter', dropped the picture on Instagram and wrote:

'When the diet n sleep score is on point, it feels so good. Took this in November 2022.'

Alia wishes to turn music composer

The entry of a cute little angel in Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt's life has changed everything. The lovely couple is happy with the arrival of their daughter, Raha. After welcoming her first kid with her husband, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt was on maternity leave for a long time. The actress had returned to work

after taking a well-deserved pregnancy break and is now balancing motherhood and her professional commitments. In a recent interview, Alia Bhatt revealed that she sings 'lullabies' with a twist for her daughter, Raha. The actress revealed that God has given her a good voice so that she can sing to her daughter. She further added

that she listens to dif ferent lullabies and makes impromptu songs if she needs to distract Raha. She also said that she creates random songs and discovers new tunes to the extent that she needs to start recording these tunes. Going further in the interview, Alia made a joke about how, at this pace, she might end up being a music composer.

Arjun Bijlani

Mahesh Bhatt and Anupam Kher

Alia Bhatt

Hrithik Roshan

His post...

Shah Rukh Khan Amitabh Bachchan